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Background of ILO
World War I transformed the worlds social and economic map. The International Labour
Organization (ILO) emerged together with the League of Nations from the treaty of
Versailles in 1919. It gave expression to the concern for social reform that grew with the
industrial revolution and
the conviction that realistic reform had to be conducted on an
international plane. The members of the ILO were to be countries of the world member states.
Created to develop international labour standards and to ensure their application, the ILO devoted
the bulk of its energies to this major task during its firs forty years. During the twenty year period
from 1919 to 1939. 67 conventions and 66 recommendations were adopted.
Originally, standards focused on working conditions. The first convention in 1919 dealt with
hours of work, the famous eight-hour day and forty eight hour week.
In 1926, an important innovation was introduced when the International Labour Conference set
up a supervisory system on the application of standards which still exists today. It created a
committee of independent jurists responsible for examining government reports on the application
of conventions ratified by them and presenting its own report each year o the conference. Its
mandate has since been broadened to cover reports on ungratified conventions and
recommendations.
In 1944, delegates to the International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration of
Philadelphia which annexed to the constitution, still constitutes the charter of the aims and
objectives of the ILO. The declaration opens with a reaffirmation of the fundamental principles on
which the ILO is based notably that
Labour is not a commodity
Freedom of Expression and of association is essential to sustained progress and poverty
anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere
The declaration anticipated and set a pattern for the United Nations Charter and the Universal
Declaration of human Rights.
In 1946 the ILO became the first specialized agency of the newly formed United Nations
organizations.
In 1969, on its 5oth Anniversary, it was awarded with the Nobel peace prize
The ILO: How it works
The International Labour office in Geneva is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour
Organization, its operational headquarters research centre and publishing house. Administration and
management are decentralized in regional area and branch office in more than 40 countries.
Under the leadership of a Director general who is elected for a five year renewable term. The office
employs some 2500 officials and experts at Geneva headquarters and in more than 40 field offices
around the world.
Regional meetings of the ILO member states are periodically held to examine the matters of special
interest to the regions concerned.
The work of the governing body and of the International Labour office is aided by tripartite
committees covering major industries and by committees of experts on such matters as vocational
training, management development, occupational safety and health industrial relations workers
education and special problems of certain categories of workers (young workers women, the
disabled etc). The International Labour office maintain a very comprehensive website at
http://www.ilo.org/
The international labour conference meets annually. It provides an international forum for
discussion of world labour and social problems and sets minimum international labour standards
and broad policies of the organization.

Every two years, the conference adopts the ILOs beneficial work program and budget which is
financed by member states.
Each member country has the right to send four delegates to the conference:
Two from the government and one each representing workers and employers each of whom may
speak and vote independently.
The ILO is unique among world organization with its tripartite structure in that employer and
workers representatives the social partners of the economy have an equal voice with those of
governments in sharing its policies and programs. The ILO encourages triparteism within member
states as well by promoting a social dialogue which involves trade unions and employers in the
formulation and where appropriate, implementation of national policy on social and economic
affairs and a host of other issues.
Between the conferences, the work of ILO is guided by the governing body. Comprising 28
government members and 14 worker and 14 employer members. This executive council of the ILO
meets three times a year in Geneva. It takes decisions on action to give effect to ILO Policy
prepares the draft program and budget which it then submits to the conference for adoption and
elects the Direct General.
Ten of the government seats are permanently held by states of chief industrial importance (Brazil,
China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russian federation, United Kingdom, and United
States).
Representatives of other member countries are elected by the government delegates at the
conference every three years, taking into account geographical distribution. The employers and
workers representatives elect their own representatives in separate electoral colleges.
The international Labour conference meets in June each year in Geneva; delegates are accompanied
by technical advisor. As well as the government delegates, the cabinet minister responsible for
labour affairs in their countries also generally attend the conference and take the floor. Employers
and workers delegates can express themselves and vote independently of their governments. They
may well vote against each other as well as their government representatives.
One of the ILOs oldest and most important functions is the adoption by the tripartite International
labour conference of conventions and Recommendations which set international standards. Through
ratification by member states, conventions create binding obligations to implement their provisions.
Recommendations provide guidance on policy legislation and practice.
Each member state is required to submit all conventions and recommendations adopted by the
conference to the competent national authority for a decision to be taken number of ratifications of
these conventions have continued to increase. The ILO has established a supervisory procedure to
ensure their application in Law and practice. It is based on the objective evaluation by independent
experts of the manner in which obligations are complied with and on examination by the
organizations tripartite bodies.
Mandate of the ILO
The ILO formulates International labour standards in the form of conventions and recommendations
setting minimum standards for basic labour rights:
Freedom of association
Right to organize
Collective bargaining
Abolition of forced labour
Equality of opportunity and treatment and other standards regulation conditions across the
entire spectrum of work related issues.
It provides technical assistance primarily in the fields of:
Vocational training and vocational rehabilitation
Employment policy
Labour administration

Labour law and industrial relations

Working conditions
Management development
Co-operatives
Social security
Labour statistics and occupational safety and health.

It promotes the development of independent employers and workers organizations and provides
training and advisory services to those organizations
Within the UN systems, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers
participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs
1996 maritime Session of the International Labour Conference
the 84th (Maritime) Session of the International labour Conference concluded its work in October
1996 with the adoption of three conventions three recommendations and a protocol concerning the
living and working conditions of seafarers.
The conference revised and adopted the following international legal instruments:
Seafarers hours of work and the Manning of ships convention
Seafarers wages, hours of work and the manning of ship recommendation 1996
Labour inspection (seafarers) convention and recommendation 1996
Recruitment and placement of seafarers convention (revised) and recommendations 1996
1996 protocol to the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Conventions 1976
Seafarers hours of work and the manning of ships convention
The conference revised the wages, hours of work and manning (sea) convention and
recommendation 1958 (No. 109). It adopted the new seafarers hours of work and the manning of
ships convention 1996 which establishes specific daily and weekly limitations on hours of work or
conversely daily or weekly minimum rest periods for seafarers with the aim of preventing fatigue
associated with excessive work.
It calls upon member states which ratify it to acknowledge that normal work hours shall be based on
an eight hour day with one day of rest per work and then provides that maximum limits shall not
exceed 14 hours per day and 72 hours in a week. Alternatively, member sates may define working
time through a minimum of ten hours of rest per day or 77 hours in a week. These limitations are to
be posted in an easily accessible place on board the ship.
Records of daily working hours or periods of rest are to be maintained and the competent authority
is to examine and endorse these records at appropriate intervals in order to monitor compliance and
if the records indicate infringements of the provisions governing hours of work or rest requires
measures to be taken to avoid infringements.
The new convention has also been included in the protocol to the Merchant Shipping (minimum
Standards) conventions 1976 (No.147). This means that, following sufficient ratifications, this
instrument may also be subject to port state control.
Seafarers wages hours of work and the manning of ships recommendation 1996
The accompanying recommendations which focuses on compensation for overtime and other wage
issues is a comprehensive instrument which will serve to clarify wage issues for seafarers and shipowners. It retains the ILO minimum monthly basic wage figure for able seamen a figure which has
long served as an international bench mark for the industry. This is currently (as from 1 st January
2003) US $ 465 per month.
Labour Inspection (seafarers) convention and recommendation, 1996
International provisions for labour inspection on board of ships were strengthened by the adoption
of the labour inspection (seafarers) convention. The first international convention on maritime

labour inspection. The preamble of the convention states that measures only apply to flag state
control- i.e., subject to inspection by the ships own flag state and not port state control.
Recruitment and placement of seafarers convention (Revised) and recommendation 1996
The international labour conference also adopted a convention and recommendations on the
placement of seafarers revising the placing of seamen convention 1920 (No.9). The original 1920
convention (No.9) one of the first conventions adopted at the IMO-related to seamen which
included all persons except officers employed as members of the crew engaged in maritime
navigation.
The new convention allows private placement services provided that they are in conformity with a
system of licensing or certification or other form of regulation. Ratifying member states shall
ensure that no fees or other charges for recruitment or for providing employment to seafarers are
borne directly or indirectly in whole or in part by the seafarer
The accompanying recommendations set out guidelines for effective co-operation among the
different recruitment services, ship-owners and seafarers. Among other tasks the competent
authority should approve or prescribe standards for the operation of recruitment and placement
services and encourage the adoption of codes of conduct for these services.
1996 Protocol o the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) convention 1976
The Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) convention 1976 (No.147) has become the basic
point of reference in the industry for minimal acceptable standards of safety and health, social
security and living conditions of seafarers.
The conference adopted an optional protocol to the 1976 convention allowing states to accept new
obligations but retaining the flexibility for the convention still to be ratified in its existing form. A
supplementary appendix which can be accepted by the ratifying state includes ILO conventions
regulating accommodation of crew, hours of work and manning seafarers identity documents
workers representatives health protection and repatriation.